with special attention to be given to people who travelled through sites now under lockdown in central Da Nang city.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, speaks at the meeting.

Three hospitals in the city - the Da Nang General Hospital, Hospital C Da Nang, and the Da Nang Orthopaedic and Physical Rehabilitation Hospital - pose the highest risk of community transmission, the committee said.

Localities such as Hanoi and HCM City, meanwhile, have many people who have recently been to Da Nang and thus face high risks of infection.

Experts recommend that those who have visited the city since July 1 make health declarations and inform local authorities and medical agencies.

Any cases detected outside of quarantined areas in Da Nang must be sealed off, the committee instructed.

It also agreed to tighten COVID-19 prevention and control regulations, in particular the wearing of face masks in large gatherings and on public transport and the regular washing of hands with soap, while warning people against any unnecessary travel.

Regarding COVID-19 treatment and testing, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said the ministry will maximise testing capacity and impose the sorting of patients related to respiratory diseases at medical facilities and immediately test suspected cases.

The high school graduation exams, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do said, will still take place as scheduled, on August 9 and 10.

Students will be classified into four groups - F0 (infected with COVID-19), F1 (exposed to F0), F2 (exposed to F1), and the others, for the exams, to ensure both epidemic prevention and students’ rights and interests, he added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will join hands with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport in regulating the repatriation of overseas Vietnamese in accordance with the latest situation.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has warned against the holding of festivals, large gatherings and any unnecessary events.

The health ministry reported that, as of July 29 morning, Vietnam had 30 cases of community transmission related to the outbreak in Da Nang, the first such cases in more than three months, including 27 in Da Nang, two in neighbouring Quang Nam province, and one in nearby Quang Ngai province.

Of the 30 cases, 24 are related to the Da Nang Hospital.

The national tally now stands at 446, of whom 369 (82.7 percent) have recovered. The remainder are being treated at 12 medical facilities nationwide./.VNA